Zelensky invited to Budapest for 70th anniversary of Hungarian Revolution as Ukraine-Hungary ties thaw
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been invited to visit Budapest next week to attend events marking the 70th anniversary of the Hungarian Revolution on 23 October, Ihor Zhovkva, deputy head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, said in an interview with Euronews. The invitation comes as Zelensky and Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar prepare for their first official bilateral meeting on Friday on the sidelines of an EU summit in Brussels, following Ukraine's 12 October education-law amendments that cleared Hungary to lift its objections to two EU accession clusters.
Key points
- Zelensky received an invitation to visit Budapest next week for events marking the 70th anniversary of the Hungarian Revolution on 23 October.
- Deputy head of the Office of the President Ihor Zhovkva announced the invitation in an interview with Euronews.
- Zelensky and Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar are preparing for their first official bilateral meeting on Friday morning on the sidelines of an EU summit in Brussels.
- On 12 October, the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament, passed education-law amendments in both readings and in full, which Hungary required to lift its objections to opening clusters 2 and 3 in Ukraine's EU accession talks.
- The EU opened negotiations with Ukraine on the two clusters the following day after Hungary withdrew its objections.
- Kyiv is grateful to Hungary for supporting Ukraine's EU accession negotiations and describes its expectations of the upcoming meeting as 'very positive', according to Zhovkva.
- Zelensky's visit to Budapest has not yet been confirmed by the Ukrainian side.
Why it matters
A possible presidential visit to Budapest would mark a significant step in rebuilding Ukraine–Hungary relations after years of disputes that repeatedly held up Ukraine's EU progress. The two leaders are preparing their first official bilateral meeting following months of negotiation, and Budapest's recent decision to lift objections to two accession clusters — enabled by Verkhovna Rada education-law amendments — points to a broader diplomatic thaw with direct consequences for Ukraine's EU path.
What happened
Ihor Zhovkva, deputy head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, said in an interview with Euronews that President Volodymyr Zelensky has been invited to visit Budapest next week to take part in events marking the 70th anniversary of the Hungarian Revolution on 23 October. Zelensky's office has not yet confirmed the trip.
The invitation comes as Zelensky and Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar prepare for their first official bilateral meeting on Friday morning on the sidelines of an EU summit in Brussels. On Monday, 12 October, the Verkhovna Rada passed amendments to the education law on national minority rights in both readings and in full — a condition Hungary had set for lifting its objections to opening clusters 2 and 3 in Ukraine's EU accession negotiations. The EU opened negotiations with Ukraine on those two clusters the following day after Hungary withdrew its objections. Zhovkva said Kyiv is grateful to Hungary for supporting the advancement of Ukraine's EU accession talks and described the Ukrainian side's expectations as 'very positive'.
Zelensky last visited Budapest on 7 November 2024 for the European Political Community summit, when Viktor Orbán was prime minister. After Péter Magyar's government took office, the two leaders agreed in July to meet first in one of the two capitals and later in Berehove in Ukraine's Zakarpattia region, home to a large Hungarian minority. Kyiv has expressed readiness to receive Magyar in the Ukrainian capital as an alternative to Berehove, with other locations in Ukraine also possible.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
All four supplied sources are Ukrainian outlets — Ukrainska Pravda, Suspilne News, hromadske and Ukrinform — and they frame the invitation as a positive diplomatic development. They highlight Kyiv's gratitude to Hungary for supporting EU accession talks and characterise Ukrainian expectations of the upcoming meeting as 'very positive'. Coverage foregrounds the role of the deputy head of the Office of the President as the announcer of the invitation, stresses the Verkhovna Rada's education-law amendments as the precondition for Hungary's support, and casts the planned Brussels bilateral and possible Budapest visit within a narrative of restored relations and forward movement toward the EU.
Background
Zelensky last visited Budapest on 7 November 2024 for the European Political Community summit, when Viktor Orbán was prime minister. After Péter Magyar's government came to power, the two leaders agreed in July to meet first in one of the two capitals and then in Berehove in Ukraine's Zakarpattia region, home to a large Hungarian minority. On 23 October 1956, student protests in Hungary escalated into a mass uprising against Soviet rule, involving approximately 200,000 people; the 70th anniversary commemorations are scheduled for 23 October 2026.